1 – Easy stuff first: You and all of your partners, sugar daddies/mommas or investors must be 21 or older and have been a resident in Washington for at least three months.

1 – Easy stuff first: You and all of your partners, sugar daddies/mommas or investors must be 21 or older and have been a resident in Washington for at least three months.

Photo: Justin Horrocks / Getty Images

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2 – You can’t plan to run the grow operation in your home. The board demands that police have to be able come in without notice or cause.

2 – You can’t plan to run the grow operation in your home. The board demands that police have to be able come in without notice or cause.

Photo: Steve Cicero / Getty Images

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3 – If you’re thinking of that nice patch of federal land hidden up in the trees … well, you should just stop right here, handcuff yourself and call the police.

3 – If you’re thinking of that nice patch of federal land hidden up in the trees … well, you should just stop right here, handcuff yourself and call the police.

Photo: Getty Images

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4 – Have $250 for the application fee and be ready to pay other expenses, such as fingerprint evaluation ($1,000 for renewal). You’ll have 30 days to submit your application after Nov. 18. And you, your partners or business entity can only apply for three producer licenses. less

4 – Have $250 for the application fee and be ready to pay other expenses, such as fingerprint evaluation ($1,000 for renewal). You’ll have 30 days to submit your application after Nov. 18. And you, your ... more

Photo: Ulrich Baumgarten / U. Baumgarten via Getty Images

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5 – Now the hard stuff: You’ll have to have a complete business plan that includes the information in the following slides of this gallery as well as a lease (or proof of ownership) for a location (though your lease can have an opt-out clause if you fail to get a license). The property cannot come within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, childcare centers, federal housing and other areas. less

5 – Now the hard stuff: You’ll have to have a complete business plan that includes the information in the following slides of this gallery as well as a lease (or proof of ownership) for a location (though ... more

Photo: Robert Daly / Getty Images

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6 - As in a standard business plan, you’ll have to show you have the money to start and run the business, and that money has to come from people who have been in Washington at least three months. And, you’ll need to show you or the person running the show has the expertise necessary to successfully run a business as well as be able to demonstrate to the board that you are “familiar with marijuana laws and rules.” less

6 - As in a standard business plan, you’ll have to show you have the money to start and run the business, and that money has to come from people who have been in Washington at least three months. And, ... more

Photo: Barcroft Media / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

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7 – Each application has to be for its own space. It can be in a shared building, but it has to have its own walls, security and door to outside but not to other grow areas. And it must have its own address, whether that is Suite B or whatever. less

7 – Each application has to be for its own space. It can be in a shared building, but it has to have its own walls, security and door to outside but not to other grow areas. And it must have its own address, ... more

Photo: Getty Images / Getty Images

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8 – You’ll have to pass a criminal history check for everyone involved: Owner/grower and financiers alike. None of you can rack up eight or more points in the board’s point system – though going over is not an automatic denial. They have a list of exceptions to the point system, too, but those expire on July 1, 2014. less

8 – You’ll have to pass a criminal history check for everyone involved: Owner/grower and financiers alike. None of you can rack up eight or more points in the board’s point system – though going over ... more

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9 – Security plan: All employees have to wear an ID badge. You have to have an alarm system on all perimeter entry points and windows and you “may also” want to use motion detectors, pressure switches, duress, panic and holdup alarms. Your surveillance system has to have a camera “resolution of 640X470 pixel and must be internet protocol (IP) compatible.”
You must also have a “recording system for controlled areas within the licensed premises and entire perimeter fencing and gates enclosing an outdoor grow operation.”
Cameras must capture pretty much every inch of the operation and “allow for the clear and certain identification of any individual on the licensed premises.” It’s all gotta carry a time and date stamp, too. less

9 – Security plan: All employees have to wear an ID badge. You have to have an alarm system on all perimeter entry points and windows and you “may also” want to use motion detectors, pressure switches, ... more

Photo: Alberto Incrocci / Getty Images

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10 – Traceability: “To prevent diversion and to promote public safety, marijuana licensees must track marijuana from seed to sale.” They mean the entire way, every step: “Marijuana seedlings, clones, plants, lots of usable marijuana or trim, leaves, and other plant matter, batches of extracts and marijuana-infused products must be traceable from production through processing, and finally into the retail environment including being able to identify which lot was used as base material to create each batch of extracts or infused products.”
And you have to keep a log of each thing you do to and with the plants. less

10 – Traceability: “To prevent diversion and to promote public safety, marijuana licensees must track marijuana from seed to sale.” They mean the entire way, every step: “Marijuana seedlings, clones, ... more

Photo: uniquely india / Getty Images/photosindia

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11 – Employee qualifications and training … basic HR stuff.

11 – Employee qualifications and training … basic HR stuff.

Photo: kristian sekulic / Getty Images/Vetta

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12 – Be current in any tax obligations to the Washington Department of Revenue.

12 – Be current in any tax obligations to the Washington Department of Revenue.

Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

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13 – Have identified that indoor facility or greenhouse with rigid walls, a roof and doors.

13 – Have identified that indoor facility or greenhouse with rigid walls, a roof and doors.

Photo: John David Price / Flickr Vision

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14 – Or, that outdoor area “of open or cleared ground fully enclosed by a physical barrier” must be also enclosed by a sight-obscure wall or fence at least eight feet high.

14 – Or, that outdoor area “of open or cleared ground fully enclosed by a physical barrier” must be also enclosed by a sight-obscure wall or fence at least eight feet high.

Photo: Maria Aiello / Getty Images/Flickr Open

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15 – With a cap on total space for marijuana production in the state set at 2 million square feet, you’ll have to pick for each application what tier or size of grow operation you want to shoot for:
Tier 1: Less than 2,000 square feet
Tier 2: 2,000 to 10,000 square feet
Tier 3: 10,000 to 30,000 square feet. less

15 – With a cap on total space for marijuana production in the state set at 2 million square feet, you’ll have to pick for each application what tier or size of grow operation you want to shoot ... more

Photo: Seattlepi.com

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16 – You’ll need proof of insurance “to protect the consumer should there be any claims, suits, actions, costs, damages or expenses arising from any negligent or intentional act or omission of the marijuana licensees.” Also, you have to have “commercial general liability insurance” for injury or property damage. less

16 – You’ll need proof of insurance “to protect the consumer should there be any claims, suits, actions, costs, damages or expenses arising from any negligent or intentional act or omission of the ... more

Photo: Boston Globe / Boston Globe via Getty Images

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17 – For product to get going, you’ll want to have a plant plan – but you don’t have to tell the board about it. It just seems like you should have in mind anyway where, within the first 15 days after your license is granted, you’ll get the “non-flowering marijuana plants” to gather “physically on the licenses premises.” After that, everything you grow will have to come from seeds or plant cuttings that you have or can get from another state-licensed producer. less

17 – For product to get going, you’ll want to have a plant plan – but you don’t have to tell the board about it. It just seems like you should have in mind anyway where, within the first 15 days after ... more

Photo: Mathew Staver / For The Washington Post

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18 – And, you’ll have to have the right ingredients for growing it:
- Materials listed or registered by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) or Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) as allowable for use in organic production, processing, and handling under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's national organics standards, also called the National Organic Program (NOP), consistent with requirements at 7 C.F.R. Part 205.
- Pesticides registered by WSDA under chapter 15.58 RCW as allowed for use in the production, processing, and handling of marijuana. Pesticides must be used consistent with the label requirements.
- Commercial fertilizers registered by WSDA under chapter 15.54 RCW.
- Potting soil and other growing media available commercially in the state of Washington may be used in marijuana production. Producers growing outdoors are not required to meet land eligibility requirements outlined in 7 C.F.R. Part 205.202. less

18 – And, you’ll have to have the right ingredients for growing it:
- Materials listed or registered by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) or Organic Materials Review Institute ... more

Photo: Francesca Yorke / Getty Images

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19 – You’ll need to get it to a producer or retailer. So, you need a transportation plan. The board wants to know type, amount, name of transporter, time of departure and arrival; receipt of shipment; transportation manifest for each move and …
- Only the marijuana licensee or an employee of the licensee may transport product;
- Marijuana or marijuana products must be in a sealed package or container approved by the board pursuant to WAC 314-55-105;
- Sealed packages or containers cannot be opened during transport;
- Marijuana or marijuana products must be in a locked, safe and secure storage compartment that is secured to the inside body/compartment of the vehicle transporting the marijuana or marijuana products;
- Any vehicle transporting marijuana or marijuana products must travel directly from the shipping licensee to the receiving licensee and must not make any unnecessary stops in between except to other facilities receiving product. less

19 – You’ll need to get it to a producer or retailer. So, you need a transportation plan. The board wants to know type, amount, name of transporter, time of departure and arrival; receipt of shipment; ... more

Photo: Getty Images/Onoky / Getty Images/Onoky

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20 – A waste management plan for “Solid and liquid wastes generated during marijuana production and processing must be stored, managed, and disposed of in accordance with applicable state and local laws and regulations.” less

20 – A waste management plan for “Solid and liquid wastes generated during marijuana production and processing must be stored, managed, and disposed of in accordance with applicable state and local laws ... more

Photo: Getty Images/Vetta / Getty Images/Vetta

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21 – Finally, you’ll need a contract for testing the product by an accredited lab to test the marijuana for quality assurance: Moisture content, potency analysis, foreign matter inspection, microbiological screening, pesticide and other chemical residue and metals screening, and residual solvents levels. The labs must follow the most current version of the “Cannabis Inflorescence and Leaf” monograph published by the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia. And only "Class A" useable marijuana or marijuana-infused product will be allowed to be sold.
If your marijuana doesn’t meet the standards, you might be able to make hash or hash oil out of it … but now you’re talking about producers' rules and we’ll get to those next. less

A myriad of challenges far outside the normal range of business obstacles will have to be overcome, either by federal action changing rules or sheer chutzpah. Federal banking rules are spooking banks from taking marijuana money, tax rules won’t yet allow for the normal business deductions and the feds could change their minds, mount up and come gunning for marijuana marketeers.

We’ve been hearing from some quarters, especially those wedded to the medical marijuana world (facing its own uncertain future) that these I-502 businesses are going to fail at a high rate because of the challenges, special costs of doing business and taxes tacked on to the product that could fail to attract customers away from the black market.

That said, the average national failure rate of small businesses overall is somewhere between 50 and 70 percent. So, it’s going to be tough no matter how you shake it.

But still, after attending a couple of large meet-ups at Green Ambrosia (former sponsor of this blog) for potential potpreneurs and hearing in painstaking detail the challenges these businesses face, and then seeing the raw enthusiasm and savvy of the future marijuana business owners … it seems clear that there will be plenty of smart people wading in to these turbulent waters.

Good luck to them all!

Now, check out the gallery above to see what it will take to grow pot in Washington’s legal market.